Saint Pope Evaristus

Saint Pope Evaristus was the fourth successor of Saint Peter the Apostle, coming immediately after Pope Clement I. Her served as Pope for about eight years, and we know from the Liber Pontificalis that he came from a Hellenic family of Jews living in Bethlehem. He divided Rome into several titles, assigning a priest to each and seven deacons for the city. This laid the groundwork of Cardinal Priests. It is held in tradition that he was martyred during the reign of Emperor Trajan and that he was buried near Saint Peter's Tomb around the year 107 AD. The same traditions hold that he amazed his captors and jailors by showing nothing but joy - claiming he was overjoyed to be found worthy of suffering and dyeing for the Lord Jesus.

Pope Saint Evaristus is often represented with a sword (because of his martyrdom by decapitation) or with a crib (from his family's origins in Bethlehem).